Today’s RV review is of the new-for-2024 Forest River Wildwood FSX 266BHLE travel trailer. What you have here is a very price-focused bunkhouse trailer that, in my opinion, is pretty well thought through. But this is a trailer that is focused on being more affordable, so there are a couple of corners that were cut that make it more obvious about the affordability slant.
What is the Wildwood FSX 266BHLE
What you have here is a very simple wood-framed, aluminum-skinned travel trailer that has no slide but does have bunks. I also appreciate the uniqueness of this layout as it results in a lot of kitchen counter space as well as a unique and somewhat reconfigurable amount of seating.
Since that seating is unusual, let’s start there with an L-shaped couch that runs a lot of the length of the road side of this RV. Naturally, being an RV, that couch can also fold down and be a bed. I can see two friendly people being able to share that bed, even if they’re adults.
In typical Wildwood fashion, there’s also space beneath the couch where you could put totes to be able to bring in more storage.
The table here is a narrow, free-standing, folding table that can be used however you please. You could even seat probably four–six people on the couch and then bring in a few portable chairs and sit folks on the other side of the table, as well. This would work out well for game night or just a meal with your fellow campers. Considering that there’s sleeping for eight, though, counting two on the couch, the portable chairs are the only way you’re accommodating all the people you have with you at the table. But at least it can be done.
Kitchen in the Wildwood FSX 266BHLE
Since everybody’s sitting here as it is, let’s talk about the kitchen, whose counter stretches a lot of the length of the camp side of this rig. For food prep, of course, there’s a three-burner propane cooktop. Like an increasing number of RVs of late, this one also has a convection microwave where you might otherwise expect to find the oven.
With the long counter comes plenty of drawers beneath it. So, there’s not much issue with storage; however, there isn’t much cabinet space overhead.
What you do get, instead, is a pretty large window on the camp side. That’s not something you see very often.
Where the corners have been cut
There are some pretty obvious (to me, anyway) areas where corners have been cut on this rig. Some are bummers, others aren’t really. For example, the stove/oven situation is actually becoming increasingly common, and I don’t think it’s all that bad.
But you won’t find windows on the side of the bunks. I’m not sure how bad this will be. The kids in the bunks probably are just staring at RV Travel on their iPads, anyway, and don’t bother looking out the window. There are small windows on the ends of the bunks, though.
There’s also a king-sized bed (70×80) in the front. But there are nightstands and wardrobes on either side. I think this will be appreciated.
Bathroom in the Wildwood FSX 266BHLE
However, there is no skylight in the bathroom. That is good, in theory, in that you don’t have this potential source of leaks. But it’s bad if you’re taller than about 5’10” in terms of ceiling height in the shower.
There is a vent in the bathroom with a completely worthless fan. To my way of thinking, it would make much more sense if this were over the shower to offer some headroom. However, if you’re tall enough, even a four-inch fan could prove detrimental to your hair.
Of course, like most budget-focused campers, you get the buggy-era leaf spring suspension and off-brand tires. That’s a given. But it is a tandem axle trailer.
Something I was surprised about in a trailer of this size is the provision for only a single propane tank—but it’s not like you’re using it on an oven.
The cabinetry in this rig isn’t the greatest, and the doors on many overheads are hinged at the top with no provision to keep them open. However, I know of plenty of fancier trailers where they don’t bother with any provision to keep the doors up, either.
When will RV companies learn that hinging the cabinet door at the front or back (depending on where it’s placed) means they can still use cheap hinges but the cabinets are far more useful? Perhaps folks in Indiana just haven’t figured out the whole gravity thing yet.
Boondocking and travel access
One of the best aspects of a camper with no slides is that everything works all the time and there’s nothing, other than your own stuff, that blocks any use.
This trailer has zero solar at all—which is just fine. If you’re going to want solar, there are companies who can provide it to your specifications. If you don’t, you didn’t pay for something you’re not going to use.
Conclusions
Unless you’re out looking for something that’s going to stand up to years of plentiful use, something like this camper makes a tremendous amount of sense.
Not having a slide means the whole thing can be lighter and much less expensive. Witness the fact that it only weighs 4,853 pounds with a tongue weight of 550 pounds (without propane or battery or anything else). Plus, there’s almost 2,700 pounds of cargo carrying capacity—so that’s another plus.
I think that, unless you’re looking to buy a premium trailer, this could be a fantastic starter trailer or just one that makes sense if you only go camping a few times a year.
Also know that the Salem FSX 266BHLE is the exact same trailer—so you can shop your RV dealer first and get either one of these.
Thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video and photos used in this article.
More about these RV reviews
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a lifelong RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.
You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy.
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Thank you, Tony! 🙂 You make a good case for lots of people buying this. Thank you for the descriptive review! Have a great week and safe travels! 🙂
Wow, Tony! “Perhaps folks in Indiana haven’t figured out the whole gravity thing yet” could get a brand ambassador for an Indiana RV company in a lot of hot water! But, I agree that it’s kind of like them still building suspension systems that were used on Wells Fargo stagecoaches in the 1870. It’s that “if it worked for Henry Ford or Wally Byam, it works for us” attitude that is so depressing about the overall RV industry. Or that, “we must use 17″ propane ovens in our RVs because $38 more for a 22″ oven makes the RV less price competitive!” But I guess some progress is better than none–this trailer does have a convection-microwave and a 12v fridge (but no solar, only “solar prep”).
Well the truth is my agreement with FR has expired (it was one year) but I was not restricted from ever telling the truth at all. Essentially my responsibilities were to help share information about a specific brand and to attend a specific number of events.
Know, too, that I usually share these reviews with the decision makers at the RV companies so they see what’s being written and said out in the wild. Some just don’t care, others have actually specifically implemented changes based on suggestions from me, other reviewers and commenters.